NALFA’s top 9 laminate design trends

[Washington, D.C.] The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA), based here, recently released nine prominent laminate floor trends. The trends were gathered by design teams of NALFA member manufacturers, such as Mannington, Mohawk, Pergo, Quick-Step and Shaw, and are based on prevailing themes at home improvement shows and recent developments in color, wallpaper, fabrics and furniture, according to Bill Dearing, president, NALFA.

“Just as fashion designers in the apparel industry sweat over every button, stitch and pleat, the floor covering industry has its own designers who diligently follow trends in order to give homeowners the most current offerings on the market,” said Dearing. “What’s in our closets evolve, and the same goes for the décor of our homes. Flooring is no exception.”
Realistic rustic wood visuals featuring accurate embossed-in-registered depictions of handscraping, nail holes and saw marks topped the list of today’s laminate trends, according to NALFA member designers.

Laminate flooring, due to its photo décor layer, is uniquely positioned to adapt to and leverage new trends, said Dearing.
“Any design you can imagine is possible in laminate,” he said. “Unique and rare species that aren’t possible in real wood, and marbles and stones that would cost thousands of dollars — all of those are possible in laminate designs.”

Dearing also stresses that these trends, matched with laminate’s durability, will have long-term appeal to homeowners.
“Trends are enlightening but the fact remains, what’s hot today will still have staying power,” he said. “Homeowners can be happy with their laminate floors for years to come.”